Chapter Seventy-Three: Quarrel

  Thank you for the blue sky and sea, pink tickets from home cat, thank you vivian2512 for rewarding the peace symbol ~~ tiger touch down ~~

  She could never forget the feeling of being so humiliated that she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Perhaps her past self deserved it, but what about now? Why did she still have to endure Long Han's words? Her eyes blazed with flames as she turned around, looking at Long Han, and wondered why she had to tolerate him. The anger and resentment in her heart were about to erupt, and she was on the verge of losing control and wanting to destroy everything along with Long Han when the Buddhist beads that Shui Jingchen had given her earlier sent a chill down her wrist. The cold sensation brought back her rationality and strangely calmed her anger mixed with resentment, extinguishing the flames in her eyes in an instant.

  That's right, she can't. She is no longer the previous life's Gu Qingjin, but a new one. With that thought in mind, she took a deep breath and put on a bright smile. Facing Long HanYuan, she respectfully opened her mouth to ask: "Does Your Highness have any orders?"

  Isn't it just saying that she's unruly and lacks upbringing? In her previous life, when the queen deliberately humiliated her, she endured it. Now, it's just someone unrelated to her repeating the same thing, she should have been immune to it long ago. Think about it, if someone else had said this, she wouldn't be so angry. Her losing her composure is only proof that she still cares, because the one who said this was Long Hanshan. In the end, she can't thoroughly let go!

  Since she had already said to put it down, she couldn't let this person affect her mood anymore. According to her understanding of Long Han Yan in her previous life, he was not a person who would bother people for no reason. The tone and attitude he showed should be because of the grudge from their encounter at An Ji Hou Fu last time!

  She stood respectfully, waiting for Long Han's next words. Unexpectedly, Long Han only looked at her deeply and didn't say anything, then turned around and left by himself.

  Until Long Han's figure disappeared from view, Qing Jin finally came back to her senses. This person had just been deliberately making things difficult for her, but now he was leaving without saying a word, and she couldn't help but silently curse him as being ill.

  "Miss, why are you standing still here? The plum blossom banquet has started over there, and Fourth Miss has already gone. I'm getting anxious not seeing your shadow, Miss, is everything all right with you? Also, just now when I was about to come out to look for you, Fourth Miss also wanted to come together with me to find you, but I persuaded her to stay back. You'd better hurry up and go with me, or else if we're late, it will attract attention."

  Upon hearing Yuanyang's words, Qingjin immediately snapped out of her daze and didn't think about why Long Han had suddenly left. She turned to Yuanyang and said, "Then let's hurry over!" As soon as she finished speaking, she let Yuanyang lead the way and hastily headed towards the venue where the banquet was being held.

  Qing Jin and Yuanyang arrived. The noble ladies present had almost all arrived, except for the hostess of this plum blossom banquet, Miss Qi's daughter, who had not yet arrived. Qing Jin swept her eyes over the seats of the crowd, found the seat where Qing Yao was sitting, and hastily walked with Yuanyang to Qing Yao's seat, sitting beside Qing Yao.

  "Fourth sister, what are you thinking about?" Qing Jin sat down and looked at her, who was unusually quiet and not chatting with the other noble ladies. She sat quietly, as if carrying infinite sorrow, and asked curiously.

  "Second sister, you're here." After hearing Qingjin's voice, Qingjin walked out of that faintly melancholic scene and continued to ask: "Second sister, where did you go? Why are you only coming now?"

  "I was just about to hurry off to the restroom because I suddenly didn't feel well, and when I came out, I originally thought I'd go wait for you at our seats first. Who would have thought that I accidentally got caught up in admiring the plum blossoms and forgot about the time? Luckily, Yuanyang found me just in time, and only then did I realize that Fourth Sister had already arrived. That's when I rushed over with Yuanyang. I almost forgot that we still had to attend the banquet!" After finishing speaking, she blinked her eyes innocently at Qingyao.

  Qing Yao heard Qing Jin's words, somewhat half-believing and half-doubting. However, she was clever and didn't ask anything, continuing to speak: "Second sister saw the Third Prince and hastily left, saying she wasn't feeling well, which scared me into thinking Second Sister had a relapse of her cold. It turns out it was just stomach discomfort. Right, after Second Sister left, when I went over to pay my respects to the Third Prince, he even asked about you!" Qing Yao's eyes were fixed on Qing Jin as she finished speaking.

  Qing Jin's expression remained unchanged as she looked up and met her gaze, curiously asking: "Oh, the Third Prince asked about me again? What did Fourth Sister say? Fourth Sister must have helped Second Sister explain to the Third Prince, right? Second Sister is also very sorry. Fourth Sister, the Third Prince didn't express any dissatisfaction towards Second Sister's sudden departure, did he?"

  Upon hearing Qingjin's words, Qingyao lowered her head, covering the probing look in her eyes. Perhaps she was overthinking it. How could the Third Prince's abnormal behavior be related to her Second Sister? Besides, looking at Second Sister's demeanor, she didn't seem like someone who would be involved with the Third Prince either. She must have been too sensitive. Thinking this, she lifted her head and gave Qingjin a gentle smile, saying: "Second Sister, don't worry, I've already explained to the Third Prince on your behalf. The Third Prince doesn't blame you."

  "Thank you, Fourth Sister! Second Sister knew that Fourth Sister would explain things to Third Prince on her behalf. Second Sister is really delighted to have a considerate sister like Fourth Sister!"

  "Second sister doesn't need to thank Qingyao, this is what Qingyao should do."

  After finishing this speech, the initiator of the plum blossom banquet, Qi's daughter, also arrived. As soon as Qi's daughter arrived, she said a few polite words to the noble ladies present and then ordered the banquet to begin.

  Then, two rows of maidservants came in a line, holding exquisite delicacies and placing them on the seats where the noble ladies were seated. At the same time, the hostess, Qi Jia's daughter, opened her mouth with a proud tone, introducing that today's banquet was made from fresh flower petals collected from plum trees, as well as delicious plum wine.

  After the girl from the Qi family finished speaking, she ordered the banquet to begin. The delicious plum blossom pastries and intoxicating plum wine immediately made everyone's atmosphere lively.

  Seeing the delicious food and pastries on the table, Qingjin's eyes lit up immediately. It seems that this banquet still has some redeeming qualities. She picked up a piece of plum blossom cake made from plum blossoms with her fingers and savored it carefully in her mouth. It appears that the Qi family has a pretty good chef...

  After the plum blossom banquet, the Lunar New Year is not far away. As the Lunar New Year approaches, the ladies and noblewomen of various prominent families in the capital also tacitly suspended their various banquets and gatherings, and the mistresses of these families began to busy themselves with preparations for the Lunar New Year.

  The Anji Marquis Manor, this year's New Year is undoubtedly a special one. Due to Qingjin's third uncle Gu Huaiyi's rescue, the status and interpersonal relationships of the Anji Marquis Manor have undergone great changes. Even in terms of gift-giving and social interactions, it is vastly different from previous years. Qingjin's mother, Junshi, is busy with various tasks every day. Fortunately, although Junshi is the mistress of the Anji Marquis Manor, she is not a power-hungry person who refuses to delegate authority. From the beginning, she called upon Qingjin's third aunt and handed over some powers to Susi, letting her help with some matters.

  Thanks to the help of Third Aunt Su, Madam Jun's busy schedule can be said to have decreased by half, and she has also become more relaxed. Qingjin no longer needs to worry about whether or not to go and help her mother, Madam Jun, with her tasks, and every day she can leisurely stay in her room reading travelogues and storybooks, living a carefree and comfortable life.

  The Spring Festival has arrived amidst everyone's busy schedule.

  Unlike previous years, the number of visitors was scarce, but this year, the guests visiting Anji Houfu were endless, and it wasn't until after the Lantern Festival that the entrance to Anji Houfu gradually became deserted.

  This day Qingjin came to her mother Junshi's courtyard to pay respects, walked into Junshi's courtyard and saw that the servants in Junshi's courtyard were more subdued than usual, just a little puzzled, when she heard the sound of quarreling coming from Junshi's house.

  Qing Jin stopped near the house, and the quarreling voice in the Jun's room was clearly Qing Jin's father, Gu Huai Li. He only heard Gu Huai Li say: "...... It's all because of you, this foolish woman, who let you arrange a marriage for Jin'er so early? If it wasn't for your foolishness, Jin'er would have had a magnificent...".

  "Gu Huai Li, don't forget, I also told you about this matter at the beginning, and you agreed with me."

  "I had no idea about your ulterior motives as a woman. Who would have thought that you, as a mother, would heartlessly marry off your own daughter to..."

  "Gu Huai Li, you heartless and ungrateful thing! Don't pretend to be concerned about Jin'er's well-being. You're just jealous that your brother might become the emperor's son-in-law and you want wealth and power for yourself. What is the imperial court? A place where people are devoured without being spat out, a place where lives are taken without shedding blood! You're pushing my daughter into the fire pit for your own career advancement. Are you even human?! I know my daughter's temperament better than you do. If you have any extraordinary abilities that would make it worthwhile for my daughter to marry into the imperial court, then I'll call off our family's engagement and let you take charge. But do you have what it takes? You're a grown man who wants wealth and power, go out and fight for it yourself! Don't think about using my daughter as a bargaining chip...!"

  "...you... you... you ignorant woman, do you think I don't know? You married Jin'er to that orphaned nephew of your natal family's, purely for your own selfish reasons. What kind of heartless mother marries off her own daughter to someone who has lost both parents? If it weren't for you, Jin'er might have become the imperial princess consort today. It was you who ruined your own daughter's great marriage prospect."

  "...The prince's legitimate wife? Gu Huai Li, don't think I don't know who you are. You must have been flattered by someone and forgotten your place. I advise you not to indulge in wild fantasies in broad daylight. You should be clear about your own weight and worth. Moreover, the one who saved the emperor was your younger brother Gu Huai Yi, not you Gu Huai Li..."